St Brigid’s Church Rectory

St. Brigid’s is the second-​oldest church in the neighborhood, built in 1848 by a shipbuilder named Patrick Keely. In fact, the ceiling from inside looks like the hull of a ship turned upside-​down, because for the roof the builders – ship-​builders by trade – made a boat, essentially. Brilliant and elegant.
St. Brigid’s was closed in 2001 when a crack in the east wall became irreparable, in spite of buttresses that had been put in place. (Some claimed it was a direct result of the building next door’s having been torn down in the 1950s for a parking lot, thereby leaving that wall unsupported.) The money simply wasn’t there, and the Archdiocese tried over the next several years to have the church demolished, even carting out the pews and the hand-​carved organ case – carved by Patrick Keely himself.
One climactic morning, demolition crews arrived and began smashing the antique stained-​glass windows. (I was one of the protesters on site that called 911, not 311, about this.) It was galling to see the workers grinning as they bashed in the windows, but it’s pretty well-​known that demolition workers love their job.
The Committee to Save St. Brigid’s has played an instrumental part in keeping watch and keeping St. Brid’s standing, but the only thing that saved the church was the money of an anonymous donor in 2008 – $ 21 million to restore the church and endow the school. Construction is ongoing, and includes replacing the water-​damaged roof (which has now been covered with copper.) The church is now its original brownstone color, and a lot of people passing by stop to admire it.
This sturdy church resisted every effort to destroy it, and even as a lapsed Catholic and atheist, I’m eager to see the results of this restoration job. I’m only bummed that there are no plans to replace the towering steeples that were removed in 1962, since if they’re going to do it, it seems they should make it a part of the total renovation. Hope something happens to change their mind.